Quote:
Originally Posted by Chief Pagan
Yea, Chargers were foolish were tying themselves to that long term lease. I don't think LA can support two teams. But if LA had a chance for two teams, they would have been better off building two, 2.5 billion dollar stadiums in different parts of the city.
NYC has the density and transportation to put two teams in the same stadium. But people can't get around LA that easily. If the Chargers had their own stadium in a different part of the city so a different fan base could identify with the team and had an easier time actually getting to the stadium, they would stand a little better of a chance. And the franchise would be worth more if they owned a stadium instead of paying rent.
Overall, they are probably screwed.
|
First off, Kroenke, who spent $5.8 billion to build the stadium, which includes new studios for the NFL Network, apartments, condos and shopping facilities, put this plan in place
a decade before the Chargers even considered moving to Los Angeles. His facility will not only be used for the NFL but for Final Fours, the Olympics, World Cup, concerts and so on. The Chargers are a tiny component to his overall revenue stream.
Secondly, the city of Los Angeles had no problems supporting the Rams from 1950-1980 and haven't had any problems supporting them since their return. Their first preseason game in 2015 broke all preseason attendance records with more than 100,000 people.
Transportation is no issue, either. JFC, the Great Western Forum, which is adjacent to SoFi, was jammed packed during the 70's, 80's and early 90's before Staples Center was built and it's still jammed packed with concert events. I have no idea why you're conflating traffic and transportation to the area, which is near LAX for ****'s Sake, but that is absolutely no issue, whatsoever. Could public transportation be better? Sure, but that could be said about the city as a whole.
And if the location is so "bad", as you state, why is Steve Ballmer breaking ground on a new facility for the Clippers and why did he purchase The Forum?
And finally, no one gives a flying **** about the Chargers. No one in Los Angeles cared about them when they were in San Diego and no one gives a **** about them in Los Angeles. That should have been absolutely clear before the Spanos family decided to put their fate in the hands of the man who made his fortune by running Walmart but they're so desperate and so ****ing stupid that they've completely devalued their franchise in terms of fan interest. The only fans that care about them live 90 minutes south.
And very few NFL owners own their stadiums, with the Rams being one of the few.